Two killed, 10 wounded in clashes in Turkey's southeast: sources

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Two people were killed in clashes between police and Kurdish militants in a town in southeastern Turkey on Friday, local sources said, and clashes were continuing, with smoke rising from buildings and shots ringing out.

Around 10 people were wounded in the clashes in Silopi, a town in Sirnak province, close to Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria, Dogan news agency said. Local sources told Reuters two people were killed but there was no immediate confirmation from security sources.

Violence has swept eastern Turkey since last month, when the outlawed PKK ramped up attacks against Turkish security forces and Ankara launched reciprocal air strikes against its fighters in Turkey and northern Iraq.

Dogan said security forces retaliated when they came under fire as they entered districts of the town at around 5 A.M. to seal ditches dug by members of the youth wing of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The media reports said clashes were continuing in Silopi, where television images showed smoke rising from buildings while gunfire rang out.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States and European Union, launched its insurgency in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.